Wireless Personal Audio Equipment

Abstract

A wireless personal audio equipment arrangement comprising: a hat, a control circuit including a microwave link receiver carried by the hat, the control circuit outputting signals to speakers, and acoustic chambers conducting sound signals produced by the speakers to earpieces carried by the hat.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application is the United States national stage filing of PCT / GB2009 / 001196 entitled “Wireless Personal Audio Equipment” and filed May 13, 2009; which claims priority to Great Britain Patent Application GB0809144.9 entitled “Wireless Personal Audio Equipment” and filed May 20, 2008. Both of the aforementioned applications are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to wireless personal audio equipment.[0003]It is commonplace for individuals to use hands-free devices to operate mobile telephones. Generally, these devices use either a wired connection or a microwave communications link, for example a Bluetooth link, between the hands-free device and the mobile telephone. Wired arrangements can be inconvenient. Some safety concerns have been expressed over the radiation from microwave communications links, particularly when located close to the head as in the case of a han...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]It is an object of the invention to provide a wireless personal audio equipment arrangement in which the disadvantages set out above are of reduced effect.

[0017]It will be appreciated that by mounting the control circuit including the microwave link receiver on a hat, and providing an RF shield, the user's head can be shielded from radiation from the control circuit and microwave link receiver, thereby reducing safety concerns. Further, by using acoustic chambers to transmit the sound signals to earpieces, rather than using, say, wired connections to electrically operated speakers, additional unshielded electromagnetic irradiation can be avoided.

[0020]The hat conveniently comprises a baseball-type cap. In such an arrangement, the control circuit is preferably located on a central, front portion of the hat, and may carry a logo or other markings to enhance the visible appearance of the hat, for example on a housing associated therewith. Preferably, the hat includes a peak, control actuators being mounted upon the peak and electrically connected to the control circuit to allow a user to control the operation of the equipment. The actuators may control, for example, the output volume and latching of the microwave link to a signal generating device. In such an arrangement, the underside of the peak is preferably provided with an RF shield to further shield the user from radiation.

Problems solved by technology

Wired arrangements can be inconvenient.

Although such arrangements provide a reasonably good audio signal, there are occasions where a user finds the wired connection between the headphones and the signal generating device to be inconvenient or undesirable.

Where used in connection with wireless audio equipment, there is the additional concern that the equipment may be in use for extended periods of time, thus potentially amplifying any safety risks.

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